432691 Sat Aug 18 21:42:54 -0700 2007 0 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 2858815 There were three guys on the electric guitars, a guy on a keyboard, a drummer and a very good mini-skirted girl singer wearing cowboy boots named Angel. She did a great job of “At last … my lonely days are gone … “ and every thing from that to The Locomotion to the ‘Hot Stuff’ number. They were really good and some people were dancing and a few vendors were moving with the music. Contemplating whether I should get a margarita with my BBQ brisket I was thinking … well, all righty … this is the way to run a farmers market. Not only that, but the hours are 4 pm to 8 pm … no dragging yourself out of bed to pick up tomatoes. Vendors: Shaw’s Texas BBQ (at last) Cap’n Mike’s Holy Smoke Upper Crust Bakery … they make challah and other breads … who knew? Oliveria Egg Ranch … this is Hercules, of course there was balut Big Paw Olive Oil Baca East West Food KV Farms Ortiz Farms J & M Organic Farms Diaz Farms Xiong Farms Medina Berry Farms Hamlow Farms Fleur De Lourdes Bolani Afgan Food Kettle Korn The BBQ Oyster guy A smoothie vendor At first I thought this couldn’t really be a farmers market because I didn’t see Sukki’s Quick and Easy Indian Food … but then I noticed them on a vendor list … they were no shows. There’s a promise of more vendors to come. There was one of those bounce castles for kids, a massage booth, one craft stand and a roving face painter. There were two shaded picnic tables near the Shaws BBQ truck and it overlooked the Park in Hercules so there were shade trees. Plenty of parking since it is in the Home Depot parking lot. Is this a great market or what? Turns out the band was a one time special since they combined a classic car show with the farmers market … PLENTY of parking … big lot. I saw Shaw’s BBQ Truck a few years back near Safeway on Saturday in Rodeo. http://www.chowhound.com/topics/35874 The smoky aroma made me turn around and check it out. I wasn’t hungry that day and I never saw them again till today. I wasn’t going to let this pass a second time. The brisket sandwich ($5.75) was very good and actually in sandwich form. Two pieces of typical BBQ wheat bread held a pile of tender brisket in a slightly sweet yet mildly spicy sauce. There was a smoke ring visible even through the sauce. I thought at the time it didn’t have a lot of smoke flavor, but my fingers still have a smoky smell clinging to them. I’ll definitely try some of the other items. Turns out the Shaw Truck is also at Safeway in Rodeo on Friday nights, but next week is the last in Rodeo for the season. They will continue to sell at the Hercules market till it closes for the season at the end of October. Amazing BBQ oysters that were served on the half shell … big shells … 6-8 inches long. The man across from me was making a meal out two, enjoying the oysters and then slurping down the juices. That size was $2 each. The extra large oysters were $3. You know, the extra large came in a shell almost as large as a soup bowl. I guess for the car show, the Kiwanas booth was selling margaritas. Decided to pass on them but they looked good. I only thought Upper Crust sold pies, so I was surprised to see the bread. The large loaf of white sliced French is good. The vendor was going on about the process but I was listening to the music … so didn’t catch the details … something about stopping the fermentation at a specific time. Prices are reasonable. Stone fruit and grapes were selling for $1.50 lb. Tomatoes were $1 - $1.50. No heirlooms but nice cherry tomatoes and some Romas. Huge loaf of Upper crust bread was $3. It wasn’t too crowded or empty … people would pop in and out. It was pleasant-like and very relaxed … it was very August and summery. The most evenly mixed group of people of any farmers market that I’ve been to. I expected a lot of Filipino people since there are so many Filipino restaurants in Hercules . There were but the mainly suburban middle class was amazingly diverse .. Muslim women and Indian women in sari’s that had sequins that glittered in the sun. There’s a large African American population … Latinos ... Asians … Caucasians … if I missed anyone … Hercules Farmers Market Located in the Home Depot parking lot (Turqoise and Sycamore) May – Oct 27th Every Sat 4-8pm … rain or shine. Sat Aug 18 21:42:54 -0700 2007 10264 rworange